Tuning peg for stringed musical instruments



Jan. 7, 1930. SPARKES 1,743,007

TUNING PEG FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed June 6, 1927 muemtozder and the key head or button.

Patented Jan. 7, 1930 units-n STATES" PATENT oFFIcE JOHN G. 'SPARKES, OFLONG ISLAND CITY, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOE TOWAVERLY MUSI CAL PRODUCTS COMPANY,INCL, ()Fl LONG LQLAND CITY, NEW YURK, A CORPORATION, 1

OF NLEHN- 'YORIK- TUNING PEG FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTSApplication fil ed June 6, 1927.. Serial No. 196,808.

Thisinvention relates to a tuning peg for stringed instriunents, andparticularly applicablefto ukuleles.

The. primary object of the invention is to provide a tuning peg forstringed musical instruments that-has a frictional association withft-hehead oi? the neck, and is operable fromtheupper-or string extremityrather than the lower thumb piece or button.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide an unique stringclamping device of an advantageous construction and arran ement, andcomprising opposing conical surIaces' to bear against and friction-allyengage with certainty of. placement, after adjustment, against the upperand lower sides of the head of theneckot a stringed instrument orukulele whereby the peg will be prevented from slipping or loosening, sothat the tension on the adjusted string will remain constant.

Heretofore it has been general practice in manufacturing frictional pegsfor stringed instruments to form a stem having as an integral partthereof a string winding drum, an upset shoulder below the drum, and aneX- tended shank which passes through the head of the neck of theinstrument. Such stem or shank. in this is slabhed or otherwise formedso as to act a spline key in the thumb piece or button, the stem orshank terminal being tapped to receive a machine screw which engz Vthe'head or button and extends axially into the stem. or shank to clampthe head of the neck of the-instrument between a shoul- The screw istightened or released to adjust the friction at the peg relatively tothe instrument head. This. typeoi construction has severaldisadvantages, among which is that it is'almost impossible to. producelarge quantities of these pegs with assurance of practicalinterchangeability of parts, the key head or buttons being molded fromvarious materials, such elluloid. shellac, hakelite, and othercompositions, and as a consequence the cores tween the stem and theheadsor buttons. the shank tits too snugly the'parts are difficult" toassemhle,and it the partsfit loosely the peg of themolds used in formingthe key heads or buttons anc the holes in the latter'must have a limiteddraft. "Where'there is a liID- ited drai t,the molds will never closeto'eX- actly the same degree forthe reason that the mixtures orcompositions of which the key heads or buttons are formedarenever'exactly alike, and furthermore the parts shrink after they aremolded. standing care exercised in the manufacture Therefore, notwithofkey heads or buttons under thewell known practice as ust specified, theultimate user or consumer is annoyed by poor fittings ,be-

is unsatisfactory because the lost motion in tuning is deceiving andinaccurate. The

present construction of tuning .peg avoids'all 1 irregular iits andadjustments between metal parts and llllQlildtQlltLlS of which the .keyheads or buttons are formed.

A furtherobe jection to the ordinary type of friction 'tuning peg isthat the shank or stem. of the peg" is necessarily so small that theadjusting" screw threads must be of small diameter and tine pitch. screwthreads causes many serious manufacturing troubles, such as variation inaccuracy of small screws, poor threading and constant stripping, andalso diiiicult tapping in a deep hole.

This minimized formation of the s The present invention consistsessentially" showingthe improvedtuning peg applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical 'angement of the" 1 sectionthrough a portion of the tuning head:

and showing .parts of the improved peg 'in section.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the winding drum member shown by Figure2.

Figure 1 is an enlarged transverse vertical section through a portion ofthe neck head and a slightly modified form of the tuning peg.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of the winding drum member shown byFigure 1.

Figure 6 is a top plan View of the winding drum member shown by Figure5.

Figure 7 is a detail plan view of the lower conical friction member andthe key head or button common to all forms shown, the stem being shownin horizontal section.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2, with a portion of the neck headshown in dotted lines, and illustrating a further modification of thewinding drum.

Figure 9 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the winding drumas shown by Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a bottom view of the lower terminal of the stem showing themanner of firmly securing the latter within the key head or button alsocommon to all forms shown.

The present improved form of tuning peg comprises as the essentialelements thereof, a stem 5, a forward combined clamping and winding drummember 6, a. rear clamping member 7, a key head or button 8 and a milledcap or clamping nut 9. The foregoing elements are common to all of theforms of the peg shown, and the modified structure in both instances isconfined to the combined clamping member and winding drum. The stem 5 ispreferably square in cross section, and has screw-threads 10 formed atits forward extremity, the said screw-threads extending fully from theforward terminal of the stem longitudinally over the latter apredetermined distance. The rear end of the stem is longitudinally splita suitable distance and the split portions bent in reverse directions toprovide diverged retension stem terminals 11 around which the key heador button 8 is cast, as clearly indicated in section in Figure 4 and bydotted lines in Figure 2. The combined clamping and winding drum member6 which, as shown in Figure 2, is mounted on the forward end of the stem5, comprises a drum constituent 12 having at its forward end a windingsurface 13 which is of gradually decreasing diameter toward its rear endand carrying at its rear end a clamping constituent 14 of invertedfrusto-conical contour and which is of larger diameter than said drum. Abore 15 extends longitudinally through the combined clamping and windingmember (3 from the forward end thereof to a point where it converges, asat 16, into a reduced portion 1?, the latter portion of the bore beingapproximately of the same dimensions and coutour as the stem 5.. Asshown by Figure 3, the forward portion of the bore 15 is circular incontour and the rear reduced portion 17 thereof is square, the forwardportion of the bore 15 being of greater diameter than the stem and freeof engagement or binding contact with relation to the said stem. The capor clamping nut 9 is exteriorly milled for convenience in grasping andoperating the same, and is removably applied to the threaded forward endof the stem 5 and has a flat surface at its rear end to tightly engageor bear against the corresponding forward flat surface of the combinedclamping and winding drum member 6. The rear clamping member 7 is largerthan the forward inverted frusto-eonical constituent 1 1 of the combinedclamping and winding drum member 6, and is also of frusto-conical form,as at 18, and has a pcripheral flange 19 at its rear end which isclosely engaged by the forward end of the key head or button 8.

In the slightly modified form shown by Figure 41:, the combined clampingmember and winding drum member (3 has a straight recess or cavity 20extending transversely of its forward end to receive the end of astring, as clearly shown by Figure 6, otherwise the form of the peg asshown by Figure 1- is practically the same as that heretofore described.

In the modified form shown by Figure 8 a recess or cavity 21 to receivethe end of a string extends longitudinally of a portion of the bore 15and is in effect an arcuate enlargement or extension of a part ofthe'wall of the said bore. The forward end of the cavity or recess 21terminates at the forward end of the combined clamping and winding drummember 6. In other words, Figure 1 shows the cavity or recess for thestring extremity disposed at a right angle to the bore 15, whereasFigure 8 shows the cavity or recess 21 as extending iongitudinally ofsaid bore.

As shown, the rear clamping member 7 is struck up from sheet metal ofsuitable thickness and strength as one preferred form of construction,and has an angular opening 22 in the apex thereof and corresponding indimensions and contour to the angular portion 1"? of the bore 15 throughthe rear extremity of the combined clamping and winding drum member 6.In preparing the head 28 of the neck 2i of the instrun'ient forapplication of each improved peg, an opening 25 of larger diameter thanthe stem 5 is formed transversely through the head at the properlocation, the forward end of the opening being reamed out, as at 26, andthe rear end of said opening being also reamed out, as at 27, to provideforward and rear seats to respectively receive the rear end of theinverted frusto-conical constituent 1 1- of the combined clamping andwinding drum 6 and the forward end of the frusto-conical clamping member7, as shown particularly by Figures 2 and i, and when the peg is appliedthe stem 5 will be clear of the wall of the opening 25.

In applying each improved peg in the head 23 of a stringed musicalinstrument the peg head or button 8 with'the stem 5 projecting therefromand the clamping member 7 loosely mounted on the stem, is insertedforwardly or upwardly through the opening 25 in said head and thecombined clamping and winding drum member 6 is then fitted over theforward or upwardly projecting extremity of the said stem and the nut 9applied to the screw heads and rotated until closely fitted against theforward or upper end of the said combined clamping and winding drummember 6. It will be understood that the string, when attached either tothe form of the device shown by Figure i or that shown in Figure 8, iswound on the drum constituent 12, the surface 13 of the latter beingmilled or otherwise roughened, as at 28, to prevent slipping of thestring, and after the string has been put under tension the nut 9 isscrewed down on the stem 5 to clamp 1 the frusto-conical constituent 14cof the combined clamping and winding drum member 6 and the lowerclamping member 7 in the seats 26 and 27, the rotation of the stem andremaining parts'including the member 6 being'accomplished by turning thebutton 8. In the embodiment of the invention shown by Figure i, thestring extremity is inserted in the cavity before the nut 9 is firmlyscrewed down, and the said nut is then brought to bear on the stringextremity to hold the latter against displacement, and the winding ofthe string on the drum member is pursued in the same manner. In theembodiment shown by Figure 8, the string extremity is inserteddownwardly into the longitudinal cavity 21 before the nut 9 is screweddownwardly to secure the string.

When the peg is applied and the string wound on the drum member 6, thepeg is tightly held against displacement or loose movement in the head23, and at any time desired the combined clamping and winding drum 6 maybe turned to an extent to tune the string as required without difficultyor the disadvantages usually present in the operation of the ordinaryforms of tuning pegs. Moreover, in the event of wear of the seats 26 and27, such wear may be readily overcome or compensated for by screwing thenut 9 down on the stem 5 to cause the frusto-conical parts 14 and 7 toapproach one another and thus more closely engage the seats 26 and 27around the opening23.

As heretofore indicated the advantages incident to the improved form ofpeg are mani fold, both as to the manufacture of the several parts, andin the use of the peg when ap plied to the head 23 of the instrument.Though it is preferred that the improved peg be used in connection withthe head 23 of the ukulele, the said peg maybe used in connection withthe head of any type of similar stringed musical instrument withequalefficiency and advantage in operation.

WVhat is claimed as new is 1. A tuning peg of the class specified,comprising a stem of polygonal cross section having a screw-threadedextremity and" a thumpiece rigidly attached to its other extremity, acombined peg head clamping member and string winding drum axiallymovable on the stem, a second peg head clamping member mounted on thestem and having its base hearing against the thumb piece, and a nutoperating on the screw-threaded extremity of ing its bore free ofcontact with said screwthreaded extremity, and a nut mounted on thescrew-threaded extremity of the stem adjacent sa1d drum-carryingclamping member to bear against the outer end of the latter and forceboth clamping members into tight engagement with opposite sides of thehead of the neck of a stringed musical instrument.

3. The combination with the head of a stringed musical instrument havinga bore therethrough with upper and lower seats of reverse conicalcontour of a tuning peg comprising a stem extending through the bore ofsaid head and free of contact with the wall of said bore and having ascrew-threaded extremity, a pair of reversely-positioned frustoconicalmembers to engage said seats and through which said stem also passes,one of said frusto-conical members forming a string-winding drum, and anut mounted on the screw-threaded extremity of said stem to cooperatewith the last-named clamping member to draw both clamping members intofrictionally tight engagement with the opposite sides of the instrumenthead and clamp the terminal of a string to said drum.

4. A tuning peg having a stem with means cooperating therewith forcompensatingly clamping the same in frictional engagement with theopposite sides of the head of the neck of a stringed musical instrument,said stem having divergent members at one of its ends and ascrew-threaded portion adjacent its other end, a key head in which theformer end of the stem and the divergent members carried thereby areembedded, and a nut its extremity of the stem, a second clamping memberhaving a bore to fit loosely on the stem, both clamping members beingslidable longitudinally of the stem and said second clamping memberbeing engaged by the thumb-piece, and a holding nut mounted on thethreaded extremity of the stem and bearing against the first-namedclamping member to move said clamping members toward one another.

6. A tuning peg of the class specified, com prising a stem having ascrew-threaded extremity, a thumb-piece secured to the other extremityof said stem, a combined clamping member and string-Winding drum havinga bore therethrough which for the greater portion of its length is outof contact with the stem and also has a cavity to receive the end of astring, a second clamping member surrounding the st'em and movabletoward and away from said combined clamping member and drum, and a nutmounted on the screwthreaded extremity of said stem and engaging thecombined clamping member and drum to move said clamping members intoclamping position and hold the terminal of a string in the cavity of thefirst-named clamping member.

7. A tuning peg of the class specified, comprising a stem of angularcross-section and having screw-threads adjacent one of its extremities,a thumb-piece secured to the other extremity of said stem, a clampingmember slidably but non-rotatably mounted on said stem, a combinedclamping member and string-Winding drum also mounted on said stem, theWinding surface of said drum in creasing in diameter toward the adjacentend of the stem, and a nut mounted on the screw threaded portion of saidstem and acting to hold said clamping members in damp ing relation withthe head of the neck of a stringed musical instrument and to secure astring to said drum.

8. A tuning peg for a stringed musical instrument, comprising a stemhaving a screwthreaded portion adjacent one of its ends, a thumb-piecesecured to the other end of said stem, clamping elements slidablymounted on said stem in opposed relation to clamp the head of theinstrument therebetween, one of said clamping elements having astring-Wind ing drum formed as a part thereof, and a clamping nutmounted on the screw-threaded my hand.

JOHN G. SPARKES.

